This invention relates to coverings and awnings for golf carts. A standard golf cart has an area for stowage of golf clubs and other equipment at the rear of the cart. While the cart""s roof covers persons riding in the cart, it leaves the equipment in the stowage area uncovered. Golfing equipment can be very expensive, and it is undesirable for it to get wet because of rain. As such, a cover extending over the rear stowage area of the cart is desirable. However, ready access by a golfer to his equipment is essential, so the cover should not obstruct the golfer""s ability to reach for clubs as needed. Further, if rainy conditions are not present, the cover is not needed and must be moved out of the way. There exist retractable covers that extend over the cart""s stowage area, but they often do so in a cumbersome fashion. While some covers, when deployed, may do an adequate job in keeping rain off the equipment, they do not fold away in a neat, compact fashion when retracted after use. Still other disadvantages found in the prior art designs include inconvenient mounting arrangements for attaching the cover to the golf cart, supporting frameworks which are cumbersome and unduly complicated and which do not adequately support the fabric, and inadequate mounting arrangements for securing the cover to the golf cart at or near the canopy top thereof. This is especially a problem in that there are several major manufacturers of golf carts who have varying arrangements for their canopy tops, some of which have curvilinear edges not readily suited to alignment with a standardized bracket member. Furthermore, as there is concern in providing clearance for the removal and replacement of golf clubs from the golf bags as they are carried near the rear portion of the golf cart, these canopy tops are generally shortened and do not extend into the area immediately above the golf bag compartment. This then provides a challenge for the cover in that it must conveniently extend to provide adequate rain cover for golf bags but yet be readily collapsible up and out of the way of the bags and their clubs. As a result, care must be taken in designing and implementing a supporting framework. In other words, the framework must be large enough to allow for it being extended a substantial distance behind the rear portion of the top assembly which necessarily makes it xe2x80x9csubstantialxe2x80x9d having some degree of relative size which increases its weight and complexity. With this added weight and complexity, mounting and operation become important issues as the cover must give the appearance and feel of a quality product in this luxury setting.
By means of the instant invention there is provided a retractable awning for the rear equipment stowage area of a golf cart. The awning is comprised of a framework having a fabric covering extended over a plurality of U-shaped rib members joined in pivoting relationship at their ends at a common pivot point. The rib members are moveable relative to each other so that the awning can be moved in fan-like fashion between an open, deployed position to a closed, retracted position. A first top rib member forms the top, forward lateral edge of the awning, and each successive rib member supports a portion of the fabric to give structural shape to the awning in its deployed state. Each successive rib member has an incrementally smaller dimension than its preceding rib member such that all the rib members can be nested together in a common plane when the awning is in the closed retracted position. Sleeves are disposed on the inner surface of the fabric to receive the rib members which allows the fabric to deploy smoothly over the framework. A fabric flap is provided with the awning to enable the loose awning fabric to be gathered neatly together when the awning is held against the rear edge of the cart""s roof in the closed retracted state.
Several arrangements are shown for mounting the awning to the golf cart. In a first arrangement, the awning is attached to the rear of a golf cart by fastening the top rib member to the rear edge area of the roof of the golf cart. The respective pivot points of the rib members are supported against the cart""s vertical support posts. Alternately, the first top rib member is supported along its vertical length to the cart""s vertical support post with the pivot points being freely suspended. The support for the first top rib member may be provided in a number of ways. One option is to provide two support brackets which extend between each side of the first top rib member and its corresponding upstanding support arm provided by the golf cart manufacturer for supporting the preexisting canopy top. In this arrangement, a transition plate is provided attached to the medial portion of the first top rib member with an upturned flange with cushioning for being tucked up under the overhanging lip of the canopy top. This provides an overlapping arrangement which may either be spaced apart or urged against each other to allow for a smooth and clean transition between the add on awning cover and the golf cart. Depending upon the choice made by the designer, the awning may thus be spaced apart from the canopy top or urged against it by locating the mounting brackets appropriately. As can be appreciated, switching between these alternatives is readily available by loosening and relocating the brackets.
Still another alternative for mounting the awning cover to the golf cart includes providing a top mounting bracket which itself is substantially U-shaped and which extends between upstanding support members of the canopy top on opposite sides of the cart and to which it may be conveniently bolted in fixed position. As a typical golf cart does not provide a support framework including a bracket or other member extending across the back of the canopy top, this top mounting bracket provides a fixed and solid connection point for the transition plate. Thus, the transition plate may itself be conveniently bolted to the top mounting bracket which in turn is bolted to the upstanding support members of the golf cart itself. This provides a solid bolted connection for supporting the awning cover to the integral framework supporting the canopy top. In several prior art designs, covers are secured to the canopy top itself instead of any supporting framework which is not particularly desirable in that the canopy tops are universally provided as molded plastic members. Thus, prior art covers attached to the molded plastic canopy top are not nearly as securely mounted to provide the solid and substantial mounting of the present invention. This can be important in that many golf carts are rented and subject to abuse by their users.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a retractable awning for attachment to the rear of a golf cart to protect equipment stored in the cart""s stowage area. Another object of the invention is to provide a retractable awning having a framework comprised of rib members that nest together in planar alignment when in a closed retracted position. Still another object of the invention is to provide a retractable awning having a framework surrounding substantially the periphery of the fabric cover. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a retractable awning having a transition plate for transitioning between the fabric awning and the canopy top of the golf cart to thereby allow the awning to be spaced further rearward to thereby optimize its positioning over the golf bag compartment area of the cart. Still another object of the invention is to provide a retractable awning with a supporting framework including a top mounting bracket which itself is substantially U-shaped for being bolted to opposite sides of the golf cart upstanding support members and the transition plate to thereby provide a solid bolted connection between the forward edge of the awning and the supporting framework of the golf cart. Another object of the invention is to provide a retractable awning having a framework including a first rib member at the forward edge of the fabric cover which itself is secured directly to the upstanding support members by a pair of brackets on each side of the golf cart to thereby securely fasten the awning cover to the golf cart without being secured to the canopy top of the golf cart. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a retractable awning having a framework comprised of a nesting plurality of U-shaped rib members for readily being moved between an extended deployed position and a retracted stored position. These and other objects of the present invention are realized in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, described by way of example and not by way of limitation.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following more detailed description and drawings in which like elements of the invention are similarly numbered throughout.